Again I Go Unnoticed
by Tardling
Summary: “Faye, please..look at me.” Why was it so soft? Why was he so calm, so..sad? And then, she did the only thing she could do, being that her legs were betraying her, not allowing her to run away despite how much she waned to. She flung around, gun cock
1. The Fall of the House of Valentine

Disclaimer: I don't Own Cowboy Bebop  
  
--*--  
  
Spike sat intently in the severely uncomfortable seat behind the receiving end of the officer's desk. He sent a look to Jet, he sat in the seat beside him, who had the most bewildered look on his face. This was strange. He knew, whatever reason they were at the police station on Mars, it was because of something idiotic Faye had done this time, though, it was peculiar that he had not called herself to beg for their help. The officer cleared his throat.  
  
"I need to talk to you about a Ms. Valentine? Does that name sound familiar?"  
  
"Yeah, Faye." Jet began. "What has she gotten herself into this time?"  
  
The officer immediately became flushed, his eyes wide in surprise. "They-they didn't tell you? At the front desk, no one talked to you?"  
  
Now, this was beginning to get suspicious Spike thought. She must have really fucked herself over this time. Spike turned her head to look at Jet, and was incredibly surprised to see such worry scribed across his older features. Jet was a policeman, he remembered suddenly, something serious must have happened.  
  
Quickly, the plump little man scribbled something down on a piece of paper, and folded it up, handing it to Jet.  
  
"Come back when you're done, I'll wait for you." The officer said with a sad smile.  
  
Jet looked at the paper, and nodded. "Thank you," he said ruefully, and got up, leaving. Spike followed him all the way in silence until they were outside.  
  
"Jet, where are we going?"  
  
"The hospital," Jet replied darkly.  
  
What? What could she have possibly done? There had been no warning, no cause, no reason, it had just, happened. Faye had lost it, she must have lost it, he thought. She had been different ever since he had come back to 'life', but, still.  
  
The drive to the hospital was just a silent as the walk through the police station, and as the entered the elevator, Spike reached for one of the buttons.  
  
"What floor?"  
  
"Basement." Jet replied quietly.  
  
"But, all that's in the basement is the cafeteria and the..morgue." Like a pelt in the stomach, the thought his Spike. Faye was..dead? It couldn't be. NO! It just couldn't. His silence now became angry, and he trudged after Jet down the white hall, forcing a calm disposition.  
  
Jet was the first through the swinging doors, the smell horrendous, as a coroner examined a gunshot victim's body, before snapping to attention.  
  
"Oh my, hello." Said the plump man, looking a bit like the police officer from earlier.  
  
"My brother sent? He just called." He asked quietly, taking of his coat which was riddled with blood splotches.  
  
"Yes, were here to identify the body of Faye Valentine." Jet said politely, though there was another audible twinge in his voice.  
  
The coroner sighed, which made Spike snap to immediate attention. He motioned for the two to follow, and opened one of the tiny refrigerator doors marked 'Jane Doe' with Faye Valentine and a question mark next to the name just below the original nick name.  
  
"Alright, she's kind of a mess, so, be warned." That was the last thing Spike needed to hear.  
  
The man pulled forth the metal bed, cadaver revealed. The body had no physical attributes left. All it was, was a bleeding, burned mess, and Spike fought the urge to look away, and then, once he realized that the eyes had melted to nothing too, her beautiful, green eyes, he fought the gag reflex within him. He stared down at the abysmal, empty sockets that were left.  
  
"What happened?" Spike asked calmly.  
  
"A suicide." The coroner replied.  
  
Well, this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? Spike thought.  
  
"How?" Jet asked.  
  
"She crashed her ship into an abandoned part of Mars's shore. It burned her to what you see now, she was most likely already dead before the fire started, however. I found no smoke in her lungs. What would you like me to do with the body?"  
  
Spike and Jet looked at each other. What was there to be done with the body?  
  
"We'll get back to you on that." Jet nodded.  
  
"Alright," the coroner replied. "My brother will be needing to speak with you now. I'm really sorry."  
  
Without a word, Spike began to walk away, and with another nod to the little man, he followed suit. What was going to happen now? 


	2. Hello! My name is

Disclaimer: Go to chapter one.  
  
A/N: And, thank you to the reviewers.oh, and somebody said something about the morgue not being in the basement. Actually, on average, the morgue is in the basement with the cafeteria. Gross, huh?  
  
--*--  
  
It had been hard. For everyone, very hard. Ed had..cried, and that had probably been the worst, but she was easily able to move on. It wasn't so easy for Jet and Spike. Jet had come to terms, and played his 'father' role, pushing the Bebop farther through life, and so, life had gone on, like nothing had changed, though every now and then, Ed would bring Faye into a conversation, or Ein would whine ruefully in her room. It had been a near year, the body cremated, and now, here everyone was. Spike was the only one who had never really dealt with the whole ordeal, instead he just threw on his calm exterior, but, there was always something slightly off.  
  
Jet noticed this one night, when wandering through the hall, he caught Spike staring at the door to Faye's room much like Ein did at times. This couldn't go on anymore. Spike had to learn she wasn't coming back. He laughed inwardly. How ironic. Spike was now experiencing what Faye had gone through with him. The same unsure longing, but this time there was a body. There was no mistaking it.  
  
"Hey, Spike. What're you doing?" Jet asked, standing next to him, doing much the same as he was.  
  
Spike just walked away, ignoring Jet's attempt's to have a civil conversation.  
  
"What's your deal, Spike? She's not coming back, you need to move on!" he shouted after him. Spike stopped, and turned around.  
  
"Where do you get off telling me what I need?" he asked lowly, nearly dangerous.  
  
"Spike, you've got to look at yourself, everyday for the last however many months you've acted like her death didn't bother you one bit, but we can all see through it. Even that stupid mutt can tell. This isn't healthy. You've got to let her go." Jet said calmly, moving towards his friend.  
  
"Let her go." Spike began sarcastically, "What a concept." He began to walk off again.  
  
"I'm serious, Spike. I know you're hurt, so are we, but there's nothing you could've done to stop her from doing what she did. Faye had her reasons. You don't think that Ed and I haven't gone through what you're still stuck in?"  
  
"Don't you try to compare your problems to mine, Jet. That's dangerous territory." Spike laid out, continuing, now near the hangar.  
  
"Yeah, stupid me," Jet began, "And here I thought you cared. Faye would have been proud." The black dog began to walk away before being thrown against the wall, an arm pressed firmly against his neck. Spike's two- toned eyes glared into his.  
  
"Dangerous territory." He reiterated, before hanging his head.  
  
"It's not your fault, Spike."  
  
"How can you say that?" the lanky man never lifted his head, still pressing Jet against the steel, "Everyday I wonder, if maybe, I had just been nicer, had given her the support she needed, if I had trusted her.then maybe, maybe she'd still be here, bickering with me at ever turn, but instead there's nothing, Jet." Spike looked up now. "Nothing."  
  
"It's more than that, isn't it?" Jet asked, as Spike brought him down, "You really did care about her, didn't you?"  
  
"I don't know these days, Jet. After losing Julia..it's like that all over again. I can't-"  
  
The heart felt revelation was cut short by Edward's high, singsong voice, "Oh, BEBOP!" she began, "Edward has found something that you maybe Spike-person and Jet-person should see!" The little invitation echoed through ship, and boomed from the main room she was in, perched most uncomfortably as she typed away at her computer, her Tomato. Ein slept quietly next to her.  
  
"What is it, Ed?" Jet asked as they came into the room through the round hatch.  
  
"Come, COME!" Ed said in her 'spooky' voice. Spike rolled his eyes and threw his form over the couch, lying there without seeming interest. Jet made a meticulous effort to look over the little hacker's shoulder.  
  
"What am I looking at, Ed?" he asked, curiously unsure.  
  
After a few moments, Ed pulled up a new profile on a bounty.  
  
Name: Romani Sex: Female Age: 24-26 Wanted for: Evading arrest, unlicensed weapon  
  
The woman had a familiar glint to her, but so many things were wrong. She had deep eyes, just a plain blue, and hair to match, long, and unkempt. Pale skin, and dark make-up, what was he looking at, and then, he noticed something on her neck. There was a scar, something she gained from a ricocheted bullet which had grazed her about two years ago. This Romani woman, this was.Faye?  
  
"It's FAYE-FAYE!" Ed said excitedly, and Jet's eyes glanced up to Spike, who had immediately sat up. Spike would kill her if he found her; he had to play it off like Ed was wrong.  
  
"No, Ed," he began, "It just looks like her. She has blue eyes, and Faye didn't, and black hair, and Faye didn't."  
  
Ed joy suddenly faded away with an indignant sigh, and Spike calmed down. What a cruel joke this is, he thought brutally. What a cruel joke.  
  
"Besides, her name's Romani-" Spike suddenly shot up again.  
  
"What was her name?!" he asked in a flush.  
  
"Romani." Jet replied.  
  
The lanky man jumped from the couch, and stared at the picture, it's true, the eyes and hair were wrong, but..it was a remarkable resemblance to Faye.  
  
"Spike, what are you so excited about?"  
  
"It's Faye, Jet, it's really Faye." He said in an astonished tone.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Her name. I used to call Faye, Romani. I'm going to get her. Ed, where does it say she is?"  
  
Jet tried to interrupt, to make this stop, but he was ignored as Ed punched out the stats. With them in hand, Spike took off down the hangar. He was nearly in the swordfish when he heard Jet calling after him.  
  
"Spike, don't go!"  
  
He was dumbfounded.  
  
"What are you talking about, Jet?" Spike yelled back to the man on the deck.  
  
"Didn't you ever think that she wanted to stay dead? Just like you did?" Spike stopped for a moment, before hopping in the ship anyway.  
  
Faye, he thought, Faye.  
  
--*--  
  
Next Chapter: "Faye, please..look at me." Why was it so soft? Why was he so calm, so..sad? And then, she did the only thing she could do, being that her legs were betraying her, not allowing her to run away despite how much she waned to. She flung around, gun cocked.  
  
A/N: Please Review! 


	3. Ressurection Isn't Easy

Disclaimer: Look in chapter one.  
  
--*--  
  
Spike stood outside of a bar in the red-light district of Mars, called Le Bordel Noir. It was real shit-hole, but that didn't matter just now.  
  
All this time and Faye had been so close. He was nearly afraid to go inside; worried to see what she may be doing. He looked to the little sheet of personal facts and it said that Romani was a bartender here.  
  
"Well, no time like the present." Spike murmured to know one, venturing forward, but a clanging noise followed by a string of curses caught his attention. He made his way to the back of the brick establishment, where he saw a thin woman picking up a scattered bag of trash and a lid from the can the pieces of filth were meant for. He watched her a brief moment and then he realized, and suddenly couldn't wait any longer.  
  
"Faye.." that voice. THAT voice. It was breathless, forlorned, and terribly worn out, but even in all of the mystery and disguise, she would know that voice. No, no, NO! She thought furiously, unwilling to turn around.  
  
"Faye, please..look at me." Why was it so soft? Why was he so calm, so..sad? And then, she did the only thing she could do, being that her legs were betraying her, not allowing her to run away despite how much she waned to. She flung around, gun cocked. She had never really lost that habit, of always having a weapon. She furrowed her brows and pointed the nose straight towards him, she was so scared, and so angry, and she didn't notice the dribbles of tears that fell in bubbling streams down her cheeks.  
  
Spike was nearly surprised by this, and in his two toned eyes, there was such anguish, but soon, though terribly afraid for losing this moment, he smiled at her gently, genuinely, and took a step forward.  
  
"Move again, and I swear to Jesus H. FUCKING Christ, I'll shoot you dead." She seethed through thinly spread, pursed lips.  
  
He stopped. He knew better, she wouldn't shoot him..but then he thought, it had been over a year. She may have changed more than he could tell, she may very well be able to take him out, and she might not even think twice about doing it.  
  
"Faye calm down. I just want to-"  
  
"NO!" he was not expecting this, especially in the middle of a back alley. "You can't be here Spike! Do you hear me? You CAN'T be here. I left so I wouldn't-"  
  
"Why did you leave, Faye?" he took another step forward, so calmly speaking.  
  
Faye's finger fled to the trigger.  
  
"Stop it, Spike! Stop talking to me like I'm a GODDAMNED child. Stop talking to me like you would to Julia." Now, the tears were furious.  
  
Spike stopped. Oh my God, he thought. He had been doing just that. He was trying to soothe her like he would soothe Julia when she was terribly sad. Maybe that's why Faye left. He began to move forward again, now only an arm's length away. He was deeply drowned in regret, so far gone in it, he missed Faye's final warning, and then.  
  
BANG  
  
--*--  
  
I know this chapter was short. It was meant to be. I do so love cliffhangers. If so desired, I'll continue, but.you've got to let me know. 


	4. Screw you, Spike Speigel

See Chapter one for the disclaimer.  
  
--*--  
  
Spike struggled to open his eyes. God, he felt like his head had been shoved in a meat-grinder, and slowly, he began to sit up, noticing his familiar surroundings. He was back on the Bebop? But how? He began to get up off the old yellow couch when the twinge of pain in his shoulder stopped him. That's right, he remembered.  
  
"I can't believe that bitch shot me." He said under his breath.  
  
"That bitch saved your life." Spike looked up, to see Jet standing over him, less then amused. Spike stood now, stretching to the best of his ability.  
  
"How did she save my life?" Spike asked skeptically.  
  
"I guess you were so caught up in 'talking' with her, you didn't hear the mugger coming up behind you, and on top of that, if she hadn't called us, you would have bled to death in that alley, so be careful how you talk about her, got it?" Spike was taken back by the story, and Jet's stern face.  
  
"Besides, she had every right to shoot you." Jet nodded matter o' factly.  
  
"Where is she?" Spike asked, ignoring Jet's awful disposition.  
  
"Why should I tell you? It really never occurred to you that maybe she didn't want to get caught up in this crew again?" Jet answered, a little annoyed.  
  
"Jet," Spike began, "Where is she?"  
  
Jet stood there indignantly, before throwing his thumb up and behind him, pointing down the hall. Spike was immediately relieved to know that she was still on the ship. He made his way in that direction before hearing Ed babbling about what had happened since Faye had gone. He had never heard the kid so excited, and from the sound of it, the voice was coming from the Rec. Room.  
  
As soon as Spike had entered, Ed's voice had hushed, before scampering out with Ein at her heels, and then all that was left were Spike in the frame of the door, and Faye, now standing, in the adjacent corner. For endless moments, they just stared at one another.  
  
Spike took this time to look at Faye, really look at her. Though her skin was still pale, other things had changed. Her hair was a deep raven color, that was held in a loose, messy bun, but he could tell from fallen wisps here and there that the hair was quite long, and her eyes were a vibrant, obviously fake blue. He was a little surprised to see how little make-up was on her this face. A bit of blush, chapstick..that was it, and she was really beautiful. Her old yellow vinyl was now replaced by a thin wife-beater take top, that covered to just below her naval, and turned her black bra a sort of faint gray beneath it. It truly complemented her. She was now a bit leaner, though still relatively well endowed, and the dark flared jeans she wore hugged her tender hips and clung to all the right parts. A pair of old flip-flops kept her feet from the cold floor. There was something about they way she looked. She was truly gorgeous when she was Faye Valentine, but there was just something about her as Romani, a more natural beauty. Faye finally couldn't take his intense examination any longer.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, a bit quietly, not at all as he expected.  
  
"What happened to the attitude?" He in-turn asked.  
  
She turned away from him, grabbing a ratty old hoodie, so worn that the black had become a washed out gray. "I can't do this." She stated matter o'factly, and began to head towards the door, but was stopped as he grabbed her arm.  
  
"Stay."  
  
"No."  
  
He looked at her in such a way, she gave in, and went back to where she originally was, and sat down. Spike joined her soon after, holding his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry I shot you." She said simply.  
  
"It happens." he replied.  
  
Another stretch of silence.  
  
"So," she began, "Why did you have me stay?"  
  
"I just needed to ask you a few things, first and for most, what's with the lack of attitude?" Spike canted a brow.  
  
Faye just shrugged, "Faye had a bad attitude, Romani doesn't. I don't want to be anything like I was."  
  
"What was so wrong with being Faye?" Spike looked at her as she bit her lip in nervous contemplation. He had really missed seeing her do that.  
  
"Faye was mean. She was a cheat. She was in debt. Except for the small bounty on Romani's head, she's clean. A good person. I'm guessing you found me through that bounty, huh?"  
  
"It doesn't matter how I found you. Are those really the reasons you left." Spike eyed her, she was hiding something.  
  
She sighed. "They were part of it."  
  
"What was the rest of it?" Spike asked, completely un-prepared for her response.  
  
"I had gotten myself pregnant."  
  
Someone might as well have hit him in the face. For a long while, he just stared at her.  
  
"How?"  
  
Faye just looked at him.  
  
"I mean, with who?" he stuttered.  
  
She shrugged again, "Your guess is as good as mine. I was so mad at you one night, and there was this guy, and..I was stupid. I paid the price."  
  
"What happened to the kid? Do you still have it?"  
  
"No, I don't still have her." Faye emphasized the 'her'. "I gave her up for adoption. I couldn't be a mother. Not yet. Not alone."  
  
Spike was slightly relieved, he really didn't care much for children, but he could see in Faye's eyes, that if she could have, she would have kept that child.  
  
"Alright," he began, trying to break the tension, "Next question: the body they found in your Red Tail."  
  
Faye stood stretching, "I actually had nothing to do with that. Some chick stole it, and crashed it, and the cops thought it was me. It was the answer to a prayer. I was just lucky."  
  
Faye was suddenly engulfed in a strong arm, crushing her tightly to the figure's chest. She couldn't fathom as to what was going on just now. She didn't know how to respond, so she stood quietly, doing nothing as words were spoken into her hair.  
  
"If only you could have seen what I had. That day, when we went to the police station, we thought it was to bail you out or something. Jet didn't tell me what was going on 'til we got to the hospital, really. Even then, when we stepped into the elevator, I thought you had just gotten yourself beaten up in a bar or something. I was so angry with you for being stupid and then, he told me to go to the basement, and I knew. You, you weren't coming home this time, and I was so scared. And when I saw that body, that I thought to be yours, I fought the urge to both scream and cry, and..I didn't know what to do, so, I didn't do anything. God, I was so angry with you for so long.." Spike trailed off with his ramblings, and if Faye hadn't been paying the kind of attention she was, she would have missed the slight racks of his shoulders. He struggled to hold her with his other arm too.  
  
"It was just like Julia all over again."  
  
Faye was crushed at those words. She had yet to tell him that was another reason she hadn't come back. Julia. She shoved him away, and dashed out, leaving her sweatshirt behind.  
  
"Faye!" she heard him call after her, but she kept, running to the control room to find Jet, and she did.  
  
"Please, take me home." She begged to him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.  
  
He nodded, before getting up to give her a moment, and ran into Spike in the hallway, giving him a deathly look.  
  
"Faye." He said a bit agitated, gaining her immediate attention. Seeing her near the breaking point made him want to throw himself off the roof, and why did he feel this way? He knew, he just had yet to think or say those words.  
  
"What did I do?" he begged her to tell him what was going.  
  
"Everyone will always be second best to her, won't they? You never cared about me, and your surprised I took off? All that mattered was your dear, sweet Julia! Well, fuck her, Spike! She never caused anyone anything but heartache! " She began to become hysterical.  
  
"Watch it, Faye." He said dangerously.  
  
"Watch what?! She's dead, and gone, but you just couldn't let her go, could you? Instead, you made the rest of our lives hell, not giving a shit about any one of us."  
  
Spike had to bite back all the terrible angry things he wanted to say, but that only worked for so long. "I made everyone's life hell? ME? Look in the mirror, Faye. You were no peach yourself, always stealing our money, breaking promises, screwing up on bounties, being selfish about EVERYTHING!" his voice raised.  
  
"It ALL got better the day you 'died'!" Spike immediately realized what he had said.  
  
"Fuck you, Spike Spiegel." She said dangerously. "You belong in hell, with your whore."  
  
Spike was taken back, that remark was too far, even for Faye, and in a swift motion, he had strode to her and laid one, flat punch to her face.  
  
--*--  
  
A/N: I tired to make this chapter longer really, I'm not much of a writer, and hitting a SEVERE block, so, if people have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. As always, Read and Review! 


	5. Strange Saturday

Disclaimer: Go to chapter one.  
  
--*--  
  
"You really fucked up this time, Spike." Jet said flatly, not too carefully changing his bandages.  
  
Spike said nothing, just sat, taking the subtle abuse Jet was giving him. "I can't believe you socked her. She's going to kill you when she gets up."  
  
"When will we reach Mars?" he asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Mmm..soon. About 20 minutes. The Bebop's on autopilot. Why?"  
  
Spike shrugged, standing up. "I have 20 minutes to fix this mess before she takes off again, for good."  
  
--*--  
  
Faye stood before the small mirror in her room, taking out the contacts in her eyes, and running her fingers through her thick, ratty hair, until a knock at the door startled her out of her tangled little reverie.  
  
"Go away." Is all that came out of her mouth, not that she thought anyone would actually abide by her threat, however she didn't expect what did happen.  
  
Spike short wired her door, and slid the panel open.  
  
"I said, get out!" Faye through a random blunt object at the figure, which Spike easily dodged. He stood straight up, and stared her down before beginning his plea for forgiveness, "Faye, look, I'm-" he stopped short, seeing the damage he had bestowed upon he perfect face. There were dried trails of blood that had leaked from her nose, and a black-blue ring just beneath her eye and the side of her nose.  
  
"Oh my, God." He stated simply.  
  
Faye immediately covered her left eye. "Get out!" she screamed at him.  
  
Spike began to walk forward, and he stopped just short of her.  
  
"Let me see your eye." He asked simply.  
  
"Like hell." She replied.  
  
Spike hung his head. "I really am sorry, Faye. You just..hit a nerve."  
  
"Oh really, I hadn't noticed, now, get ou-" He threw his hand over her mouth. There was that attitude coming back. She was so very different from Julia, and maybe that's why she was so refreshing.  
  
"Look, Faye..I know I hurt you, more than just physically. I really am sorry for that. I didn't realize that the things I did bothered you to the point of such drastic measures. There was so much I was unsure of-"  
  
Faye tore his hand off of her face. "Save it. I'm going home, and I will never, ever see you again if I can help it."  
  
--*--  
  
There were a few good-byes said, but they lasted only moments before the Bebop took it's leave. Spike had not said goodbye. Faye would not have let him, so, he didn't bother..and just watched the planet beneath them fade away. He had lost another one, and for some reason, this hurt so much more then losing Julia.  
  
--*--  
  
A few days passed, and in time, Bebop was as it always had been, but for whatever reason, that Saturday had just started out strange.  
  
Spike got up groggily, rubbing his shoulder as it had begun to heal, but a squeaky Ed caught his attention as she began to scream.  
  
"Ed, what is it?" Spike cried, finding her in the main room, typing away feverishly as Jet hovered over her.  
  
"Can you play it again, for Spike, Ed?" Edward nodded, bringing up a screen and hitting play.  
  
Spike stood behind the little hacker, and as soon as the pre-recorded movie began to play, Spike tensed.  
  
The camera panned about, and rested on a picture of Faye, laying on the ground unconscious, another bruise showing itself on her face. The camera then went blank, a voice searing uneasily.  
  
"Consider this a final 'fuck you' Spike. This time, I win."  
  
He knew that voice. He KNEW that voice. However, it was improbable. How could he have survived, but then again, so had Spike. Why did Vicious want Faye?  
  
For moments, there was pure silence, before Spike nearly screamed to Ed, "Can you trace the signal?"  
  
"Ed has been trying, but it is blocked! Oh, Ed is worried for Faye-Faye!"  
  
Spike stood up then, and headed towards his precious ship. "Don't worry, Ed, I'll find her."  
  
--*--  
  
Slowly, Faye came too, finding herself thrown onto a couch in some office. She rubbed her jaw for a moment as it seared in pain, she was sick of being hit in the face. She then took a moment to look about, but could not have expected..  
  
"Vicious." She said in whisper, eyes widening. He was sitting behind a desk, doing paper work, and scarcely glanced at her. She immediately dove for the door, but before she reached it, she heard Vicious's voice calmly speak.  
  
"It's locked."  
  
She stopped in mid flea. Where were the death threats? The blood and gore? Where was that sword of his? This was more than strange, this was flat out FUCKED.  
  
"Why am I here?" she asked him abruptly. He stood then.  
  
"You know, you're very lovely. Time has certainly done you well."  
  
She canted her head at him, "What are you getting at?"  
  
"Nothing." He said simply. "I just thought you should know."  
  
"Uh.thanks." She said a bit unsure.  
  
"Of course." He said gently, coming closer to her.  
  
"I'm very sorry about the injury to your face, but my men said you were too hard to handle conscience, so, I allowed them to knock you out. I hope it's not too bad."  
  
Faye didn't know what to do, and worse, she couldn't tell if this was an act or not. She could never had imagined this side of the killer she had come to know him as, and, the worst part was, she nearly felt safe with him like this. She absently laid her hand upon the second bruise on her face.  
  
"It's fine."  
  
--*--  
  
A/N: Okay..I know this is kind of corny, but here's a head's up. Vicious ISN'T acting, he's really trying to be nice..but WHY?  
  
(PLEASE REVIEW!) 


	6. This Little Light of Mine

Spike sat, defeated. He had been searching for near three days now, and there was nary a word of Faye or Romani. He threw himself onto the squeaky motel bed, and listened to its old springs ring. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to find her, to hold her, to ki-WAIT!   
  
Shooting straight up, Spike rethought his last mental words. He just wanted to find her because of his conscience..yeah, that was it. His conscience, but…he knew, in the dark recesses of who he was, that that wasn't it. That maybe he did care about her, and seeing her as of recently sparked something he had tried so hard to bury. Nothing scared him more then thought of moving on, and that's exactly what Faye meant. Moving forward with life. He stopped his thoughts..he needed to sleep, however restless it may be, so he laid back down, and closed his eyes, fighting the urges to re-open them.  
  
--*--  
  
So..this was to be her life. It had all been explained to her from day one. She just had to play along, go with the flow, and everything would be well. She was a prisoner, and victim, however, not very many victims lived a life like this. She cast a glance over the room she was in. Velvet and gold leaf covered the walls, the bed, and all that was present. An antiquitous mansion was her residence, and worse yet, Viscious's mansion.   
  
She scoffed lightly to herself, and took from the bed she laid in, to the windowed doors, and then out to the balcony. The night on, well…whatever planet she was on did surely glow. She counted the twinkling stars and thought to herself, while wrinkling in nervous fingers, the silk of the innocent little nightdress she wore. She was a pawn, a tool, but…oh well.  
  
"Nice night."  
  
Faye jumped at the sound, and looked about her, only then to catch the figure next to her, on it's balcony. She clutched the cloth tighter.  
  
"Vicious." She stated simply.  
  
He smiled at her from his own protruding porch and leaned against the finely carved marble railing. He set his face back to the sky, as Faye did for a moment, before turning back to him, and as she watched him, she almost dreamed of a smile. His face was so tender, and child like as he stared up, lit with a mischief that would rival Puck, the trickster. If this was the way she had first seen him, perhaps she wouldn't be afraid, as she was now, but..it was easing nonetheless.  
  
"Can I ask a question?" she begged him meekly, and breaking his concentration of the sky above.   
  
"Surely." He returned simply.  
  
Faye nearly smiled as she drug out her words, "What are you going to do with me?"  
  
Vicious stood for a moment, then straightened, looking at her.   
  
"Am I supposed to be doing something with you?"  
  
Faye gave herself a moment to ponder the question. IWas he supposed to be doing anything with her? Honestly?/I She looked back to him.   
  
"Well, there's a reason I'm here, right."  
  
He nodded, and then walked off the balcony with a slight hand wave and a barely whispered goodnight. Faye stood, dumbfounded, and took to her own room. She threw herself down upon the bed. There had to be a reason, yes…and then it hit her.  
  
"THAT BASTARD!" she screamed sitting up, glaring at the wall behind her. She tore out of her feathered bed, and picked up the nearest thing she could find to throw. A hand crafted silver mirror was the first thing she came across, and she sent it shattering into the wall with all the might in her, and listened as the pieces landed upon the carpeted floor in /I. She continued the act again, and again, until the double doors to her room came swinging open, and there stood Vicious, sword ready, along with a few other men, a bit to trigger happy.   
  
He was surprised to see that it was her making all the racket, to say the least, and quickly, he dismissed the guards back to their posts.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked calmly, shutting the doors behind him, and setting his sword down upon one of the many hand crafted mahogany tables.  
  
Faye turned to glare at him, and picked up a vase, filled with wilting roses, and sent it, with heave towards him. With a bit of shock, Vicious caught it, and set it next to his blade.   
  
"And here I thought, you were and okay guy! Here I thought, you were civil. /b!" she stormed towards him, and stood beneath his line of sight just slightly, giving a hard glare into his stormy, broken eyes.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" was all he replied, looking down upon her.  
  
"Am I a tool? An I a /b tool?" Faye demanded with an intense, quivering voice.  
  
"I don't understand you?" Vicious replied, now clearly annoyed, "What are you talking about?"  
  
Faye just shook her hard, furious.  
  
"I'm here so you can get even with Spike! That's it isn't it?! I should have known. It's pointless, he's not going to come for me, he could care less if I lived or died. God, no wonder you two, hate each other so much, you're exactly alike." Faye began to walk away, slightly hurt, when her arm was grabbed, and Vicious lifted her to his line of view.  
  
"Don't compare us." He said lowly.  
  
Faye stood there, frightened to silence and stiffness, and, once Vicious realized his effect upon her, swiftly set her down. He turned from her, grabbing his word on the way out, and with a low, rueful tone, he opened the door with a, "Sorry."  
  
Faye watched him go, broken, and torn.  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
--*--  
  
Spike wandered the streets of Mars, hoping that she was somewhere upon the planet, hands dug deep into mournful pockets, and he took a moment to stop, and dropped the cigarette out of his mouth, stomping it to death. He glanced up for a moment, for the sheer sake of doing, when a face caught his attention. He knew that face.  
  
The man who caused the recollection was hurrying down the street, a brown bag crinkled tightly in his one hand, and a cigarette in the other. His shagged black hair rested uneasily as he scuffled through the thin sidewalk crowd, and then, it hit Spike. That face was the face of a man who worked for..Vicious.  
  
Spike wasted no time in chasing him down, and with a practiced ease took him to the ground, in plain view, a gun shoved to his nose.  
  
"You!" the man cried, as Spike crushed one his knees into his chest.  
  
"Where's Vicious?" Spike retorted, calmly dangerous.  
  
The man replied, spitting in Spike's contorted face. He only pushed the gun down harder.  
  
"I'm in /b mood for anyone's shit, so do well, and tell me what I want, or I swear to God, I shoot your face in."  
  
The man sneered, but all too soon changed his way as Spike clicked the safety off, and set his finger onto the trigger.  
  
"Where's Vicious?" he asked again, a smirk on his face.  
  
"On the coast." The man replied. "Not to far from her, on the East Side of the docks. 24450 West Egg St."  
  
"Good." Spike replied, "Now, tell me of the woman with him."  
  
"There's no woman!" the man swore.  
  
The lanky man shrugged, and shook his head, then reamed a flat strike to his cheek, ignoring the sounds of the crowd around him.  
  
"Let's try this again. Tell me of the black haired woman with him, and tell me WHY he wants her?"  
  
The man sighed, and swallowed before beginning his tale.   
  
"He's keeping the girl because he can. She's just a whiny bitch."  
  
Spike punched the guy again.  
  
"Tell me his purpose for her!" he screamed into the air and the man's face.  
  
"FINE!" he replied, slightly terrified. "She's got some relationship to this kid he's got. She's like, the mother or somethin', and Vicious is the father." Spike was stunned and appalled, and in a desperate act, racked his gun across the man's face a final time, knocking him unconscious. This had to be alive…Faye had Vicious's kid? /I   
  
He scooted away from the limp body and knocked the dropped paper bag, tripping it open, and out poured child products, food, formula, and diapers. This couldn't be possible. This couldn't be possible!   
  
Spike took off in the direction of the mansion.  
  
--*--  
  
Faye sat on her bed, and looking thoughtfully to the man next to her.  
  
"So, what came between you and Spike, I mean, if you guys were such great friends and all?" Faye asked, continuing a conversation they had been carrying on for a short while now.  
  
"Julia." He answered in a simple, cold rebuttal, and the green-eyes seductress tensed at the name.  
  
"What happened?" She asked, cautiously.  
  
Vicious sighed, beginning his tale. "Julia was originally mine. She was a star assassin, and beautiful, and..she loved me, or so I thought. Spike was my best friend, and somehow, they ended up together in a twisted, secret romance. Inevitably, I found out, and I was mad with rage. My best fried, and lover was sleeping together. I was out for blood at that point. I was in pursuit of Spike's demise imparticularly, that is, until something happened."  
  
Faye waited patiently, eager to hear what was left to be said, and watched carefully as he tenderly turned his eyes to her, continuing his thought. "After Spike and I had fought, for what, I'm pretty sure, the both of us had thought was the last time, and went into hiding, finding solace in a shit-hole bar on the darker side of Mars. One night I was there, and this woman was sitting down a ways from me, at the bar. I recognized her, and..she was visibly smashed, her head thrown onto the counter. I decided to approach her. When I did, she must not have recognized me, for she smiled, and offered me a seat. We talked, and laughed, and in the end, spent the night with her."  
  
Faye nodded, listening. "What ever happened to her?"  
  
Vicious stood, visibly distressed, and grabbed her hand in a gentle hold, lifting her up as well. He pulled her behind him, out of her room, and into his, much the same. He drew her slowly around the canopied bed, and there, laid a bassinet, woven in baby blue, sea green, and white. It rocked gently, a Faye dropped her hand from his grasp, stepping forward and glancing in.  
  
There, a child lay, peacefully sleeping on it's back, head turned to her. It was a beautiful baby girl, with thin, colored hair, a light violet, and pale skin. Up and down her little chest breathed, and Faye stood there, aghast. One hand raised to her mouth, the other to caress the child's soft cheek, and she cried without movement.  
  
It seemed as though hours went by, and with a gentle grasp, Faye lifted the child to her, and held her in an everlasting embrace, rocking her slowly in her arms.  
  
"I know you," she whispered as the child stirred before settling back into sleep. "I know you. You're Alice. /b Alice." The enthralled mother, realization of the father not yet setting in upon her stared at Vicious, as he spoke tenderly.  
  
"You know what happened to her. She had a baby."  
  
--*--  
  
A/N: Wow..I hope you all, like..didn't hate that. I know it's kind of a stupid twist. Kudo's to one person, who figured it out.  
  
PLEASE R + R! 


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